Wheeler's Corner

43 18th October 2007

Now before I get started, many have asked me if Wheeler’s Corner will continue now that my circumstances have changed. The answer is yes but any issues discussed in part two of council will not be discussed until they are public knowledge. As always I shall be polite and charming as a tame tiger…"who said what and when" is the key to open communication and I hope I will continue to practice that art…for art is what it is.

This Week: 1. Election has ended 2. Who came and went? 3. Thanks: 4. ‘Roosters’ 5. Opening up the council: 6. Farting in the library: 7. My God meets Chris.

The people [well some of them] have decided. The votes have been counted. I think a shock for many has been the sad loss of the Mayor Heather Tanguay. She was up against huge spending and a great deal of disruption to her campaign. She was also up against a seriously organised ‘Clique and cliché driven public campaign’. I for one admired greatly her work in the community and especially with her effort in supporting those new arrivals to our city and communities. She is a wonderful person and I wish her and her family all the best for the future. Heather’s long spell as a councillor and then mayor will not be forgotten. It takes a lot of courage to stand as mayor alone when your opposition hedges their bets. Her sponsored forums on specific issues of community importance were the highlight of her three-year term.

Palmerston North is cruel to its mayors for it dumps them after three years, is there a message there for Jonathan? It’s almost as if everyone wants to be mayor. There are hundreds if not thousands of citizens who will remember Heather with pride mainly in the smaller working class communities. Hero’s come and go, but some will not be forgotten and Heather is one of these. A working class success story.

2. Only two sitting councillors lost their seats both Gordon Cruden of Hokowhitu and Ian Cruden of Takaro. But Gordon Cruden slipped back in because Jonathan Naylor was elected mayor. It’s great to have a second chance.

Newly elected were Michael Feyen, Annette Nixon, Chris Teo-Sherrell, Ross Linklater, Jan Barnett, Bruce Wilson, David Ireland and myself and this means almost half the councillors will be new this coming term. It is a great responsibility that they have undertaken. An alert eye will have to be kept on future activities but with a new and community minded CEO’s support, the council may bring back under control the massive borrowing that has been undertaken. Improve communication with ratepayers and cease the division simply because the tight eight has now all but disappeared.

3. To all those candidates who campaigned, especially those in the Awapuni Ward I say thank you and I wish you all the best for the future. I wish also to thank Gwen Morris, Val Wilkinson, John Bos, Janice Feyen and Marilyn and Bruce Bulloch for their hard work and support. Together the impossible is possible. To all those readers of my weekly newsletter or listeners to my Access Manawatu radio broadcast and others who sent best wishes or who assisted in any way I also say thank you. I also need to thank the Trustees of Access Manawatu, The management committee of Age Concern, The members of the Palmerston North Residents Association and lastly the Community Services Council for my lack of performance over the past couple of months.

4. No doubt the local press played a part, a large part, in the mayoral campaign, it would appear that the ‘Roosters’ have done well…be that as it may, last weeks Radio NZ media watch programme was of great interest to this candidate. This is just to let the editor of the Manawatu Standard know that the Roster has landed.

5. The first major step is to review the Milson Line closure spending to see if millions can be saved in the short term. The second is to keep the Ward Committee progress advancing to assist in opening up the council to the citizens. Awapuni, Ashhurst, Papaioea, Fitzherbert and Hokowhitu had a functioning ward, while Takaro did not. We must not let this happen again. We must not allow channels of communication to close. I’m also deeply interested and getting an insight into how easy it seems to be for various property investors to be able to transform council direction over matters like the bridge and lake…I will need your help over these and other matters. I’ll keep you informed as to clinics once a location is known. I would expect the first to be held in the New Year.

6. Hello Peter,
"Just heard the results, well done! I'm suddenly looking forward to the new term and what it produces! By the way, John Wall also suspended my son for farting in the library. My son readily and happily owned up to this dramatic transgression. But he refused to bend over and be caned as a punishment! I still can't understand the severity of the offence! Sincerely, Thanks for that. Boy it must have been some fart to shake the library on its foundations!


7. My God was looking through the last council agenda [8th Oct] and she was shocked. On page 107 Cr. Peter Claridge was reported as saying that he regretted that he supported ‘The cock’ tower…and on page 114 in the apologies Chris Teo-Sherrell, was called Christ…this shocked my God. From my perspective having a Christ in council could be a big help to the new mayor. She agreed and added that since Christ is her son she’s putting adoption papers into the system to claim Chris Teo-Sherrell as her own. Let me tell Chris that if my God starts speaking to you as she doe’s to me, you’re in for a few home truths…

That’s it for this week, I’m a day early because on Wednesday its non-stop and besides that I have nothing more to say. Never forget you are the most important people in the world.